This work was supported by Başkent University Research Fund. No conflict of interest was declared.

In the light of these findings, it might be concluded that topical local anesthetic ointments in routine settings may have a preventive role against some bacteria.

The aim of this study was to genotype Candida albicans strains isolated from patients with invasive and non-invasive deep-seated infections. For this purpose, 301 C. albicans isolates (81 invasive and 220 non-invasive) were genotyped by using specific PCR primers designed to span the transposable group I intron of the 25S rDNA gene. Fifty-three of the 81 invasive isolates were genotype A (65.4%), eight were genotype B (9.9%) and 20 were genotype C (24.7%), while 98 of the 220 non-invasive isolates were genotype A (44.6%), 46 were genotype B (20.9%) and 76 were genotype C (34.5%). Genotype A was more prevalent among invasive isolates and genotypes B and C were more prevalent among non-invasive isolates (P = 0.0046). Genotypes D and E which represent C. dubliniensis were not found. These results indicate that there may be a relationship between C. albicans genotypes and invasiveness; genotype A being more invasive than others. The presence or absence of the transposable group I intron in the 25S rDNA gene may be important in determining the invasiveness of C. albicans.

IntroductionPsoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disorder involving the skin. Genetic, environmental, and immunological factors play important roles in the development of the disease. Its incidence may change in different parts of the world depending on environmental, ethnic, and geographic differences. Both sexes are affected equally by the disease, and patients are usually diagnosed between 15 and 30 years of age. Although it can be seen in almost all races, it is rare in Asia and Africa. It has an overall prevalence of 2%-3% in the general population (1,2). Its prevalence in children is reported to range from 0% (Taiwan) to 2.1% (Italy), and in adults from 0.91% (United States) to 8.5% (Norway). In the United States, the annual incidence estimate in children is 40.8/100,000, while in adults the annual incidence varies from 78.9/100,000 (United States) to 230/100,000 (Italy) (1). The prevalence in the Turkish population is reported as 1.3% (2). Bacteria are known to play an important role in the development and chronicity of chronic inflammatory diseases such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. The relationship between bacterial colonization or infection of the skin and the development of inflammatory skin diseases is well described in studies reporting the relapse of guttate psoriasis following streptococcal pharyngitis and the development of atopic dermatitis following Staphylococcus aureus colonization of the skin (3,4).S. aureus colonizes the anterior nares of 20%-40% of the healthy adult population. It can also colonize the perineum, perianal region, axilla, gastrointestinal tract, and skin folds. Trauma, burns, diabetes, and immune suppression can lead to opportunistic infections with this colonizing pathogen (5).S. aureus can be the cause of a wide spectrum of infectious diseases due to its many virulence factors, which facilitate its spread in host tissues and its escape Background/aim: Staphylococcus aureus colonization is a determiner of disease activation in psoriasis patients. Here we evaluate the presence of genes encoding Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL), enterotoxins, TSST-1, exfoliative toxins, and the accessory gene regulatory locus by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in S. aureus isolates obtained from healthy and diseased skin regions and anterior nares of psoriasis patients and healthy controls. Materials and methods:The presence of PVL and toxin genes was investigated, and agr typing was performed by PCR.Results: Eighteen of the isolated strains carried the sei, 1 carried the seb-sec, and 1 carried the seg enterotoxin gene. Eight of the strains carrying enterotoxin genes were isolated from nasal swabs, 6 from diseased skin swabs, and 4 from healthy skin swabs. None of the strains isolated from the control group carried the agr locus. On the other hand, 11 of the S. aureus strains isolated from the patients carried type 1, 7 carried type 1 + 3, 4 carried type 2, 4 carried type 3, and 1 carried type 1 + 2 agr loci. Conclusion:Enterotoxin production and the carried accessory gene regulatory loc...

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